coffeehouse
Americannoun
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a public place that specializes in serving coffee and other refreshments and that sometimes provides informal entertainment.
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(in 17th- and 18th-century England) a similar establishment where groups met for a particular purpose, as for informal discussions or card playing.
verb (used without object)
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Informal. to engage in aimless talk or chitchat.
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Cards. to make remarks and gestures during play with the purpose of misleading opponents as to the cards one holds.
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Etymology
Origin of coffeehouse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Starbucks has banked on higher service standards and warmer coffeehouse vibes as part of its effort to recharge sales.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
To succeed, Starbucks must pull off a delicate balancing act: revive the classic coffeehouse atmosphere while reminding customers that it also offers an entirely different universe of beverages and snacks tailored to the afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
"In the mornings, when the school bus comes, dust rises everywhere," Polat, 52, told AFP at a local coffeehouse.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Schultz piloted the café concept, introduced the loyalty program, and made Starbucks the biggest coffeehouse in China, thanks to an aggressive expansion into the market that historically preferred tea.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
Once a week she makes thirty samosas to sell at the international coffeehouse, for twenty-five cents each, next to the linzer squares baked by Mrs. Etzold, and baklava by Mrs. Cassolis.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Since Niccol’s appointment, Starbucks’s recent initiatives have included a $500 million investment in revamping its coffeehouses, something the company said is already paying off.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Executives said during an investor event in January that it could add as many as 5,000 U.S. coffeehouses over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
There’s also the fact that these new third-wave coffeehouses don’t have the pall of controversy surrounding them.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
“Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult,” Niccol said in the message to employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025
Those were the words whispered on the streets of Ketterdam, in the taverns and coffeehouses, in the dark and bleeding alleys of the pleasure district known as the Barrel.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
